Category Archives: Direct Democracy

I recently got the news from a Republican Congressman’s office that the number of people registered as “no party preference,” previously known as “decline to state” and commonly known as “independents” now surpasses the number of people registered as Republican in the State of California! This is great news!! I knew I was onto something when I started this website on the premise that we need to move away from political parties as party politics are a corrupting influence, applying pressure to go-along-to-get-along as they do, regardless of whether or not she or he agrees with the issue. The complicity of elected Democratic Party representatives to fall in line with Obama’s evisceration of our Constitution is probably the most glaringly egregious example of this.

We need to now push for equal ballot access for all Independent and third-party candidates as well as for proportional representation. The importance of these two changes cannot be overstated as we suffer from 50% of the population being disaffected at all times with the current winner-take-all two-party tyranny. If we had proportional representation it would do away with gerrymandering altogether as there would be no incentive to gerrymander as EVERYONE’S vote would count, not just the votes of the party that passed the goalpost first.

It is heartening confirmation that we are on the road towards less identification with political parties, so that we can begin to focus on issues, not partisan politics, and principles, rather than party platforms, towards a more participatory democracy. I very much hope this trend continues and No Party Preference registration surpasses both corporate parties, the GOP and the Democrats.

I love this idea that Ben & Jerry are promoting of stamping dollar bills with 99% slogans. This expression of free speech aimed at taking back our democracy is also referred to as “Occupy George” http://occupygeorge.com/. If I might add my own suggestions: “Money is NOT Free Speech!”, ‘This Dollar Bill CANNOT speak”, “Money Talks, but it doesn’t SPEAK!” “Money’s ‘Speech’ is never FREE!”, “Invalid if used to Bribe Politicians or Pay Lobbyists”, “Invalid if used to pay Corporate CEO’s”, “NOT TO BE USED TO BAIL OUT BANKSTERS OR WALL STREET CROOKS”, “On my way to the Cayman Islands!”, “Kiss Me Goodbye, I’m off to the Orient, along with your JOB”, and “On Temporary Loan by the 1%.”

One person pointed out in his comment on the above article that “Federal Reserve Notes” are not government money (that is, they are not issued by the government) and therefore the law against defacing currency does not apply. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces currency (as well as postage stamps) and the U. S. Mint produces coins; the Federal Reserve produces neither, instead producing only federal reserve notes, which the courts have ruled are “legal tender” and “lawful money”. So, though a federal reserve note is considered the equivalent of government money, from researching this question it appears that the defacing issue applies more to coins than to paper money, except with regard to altering paper money in an attempt to defraud (e.g. trying to make a $1 bill look like a $10 bill) or to such an extent that it is rendered “unfit to be reissued”. See these links for more info:

As many of us are aware, there is nothing “federal” about the Federal Reserve because though it is subject to some congressional oversight, it is a privately-owned, independent central bank, which has the power to make the decision to print money, for instance. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Under_the_Federal_Reserve_Act_of_1913_the_what_powers_do_Federal_Reserve_banks_have What is interesting is that while our paper money used to read “silver certificate” across the top, as it used to actually be redeemable for silver from the U. S. Treasury, these stopped being printed in 1964 and were replaced by federal reserve bank notes which had “national currency” written across the top until 1971, when they were replaced with the federal reserve note which reads “Federal Reserve Note”.

We need a new national motto. I have always loved the Three Musketeers’ motto, “All for One, and One for All” (unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno) because it speaks to the best of all systems: it acknowledges the importance of the collective as well as the individual, and does not put one before the other. If we were to think in these terms, we would have a much better life and system of government because everyone would be equally important and no one would be sacrificed for the good of the whole. Think about that. If we were to adopt this motto instead of the “In God We Trust”, how would our outlook, self-esteem, and behavior towards others change if we felt truly valued and indispensable! Instead of engaging in endless wars because God is “on our side” and constantly fighting for our piece of the pie, we would instead be looking out for one another, ensuring each other’s safety and well-being, and making sure each person’s needs were met. No one would be attacking Social Security, Medicare, or the commons: national parks, natural resources, a clean environment, a postal system, libraries, or single-payer healthcare. They would all be seen as human rights because we as valued citizens would be entitled to them!

There is a serious need to shift towards more pro-social values like inclusion, sharing, and cooperation vs. anti-social values like exclusion, hoarding, and competition and we would be much better off if we switched to the motto, “All for One, and One for All”, which is Switzerland’s national motto, incidentally. Switzerland, as you may know, never engages in war, doesn’t get embroiled in taking sides, is actively involved in international peace-building processes, home to the Red Cross, is one of the richest countries in the world, boasts cities with the 2nd (Zurich) and 3rd (Geneva) highest quality of life on earth, and has a direct democracy instead of a representative one. There’s a lot we could learn from Switzerland, and I think their choice of national motto is both a reflection of and a reason for the country’s success.

I would like to suggest that we all give serious thought to adopting “All for One and One for All” as a personal motto. Try it out for a week or a month, and see if it doesn’t change your outlook. I’m betting it will help you feel less isolated and alienated, more peaceful, and less stressed. I believe it epitomizes the Occupy Movement (and every populist movement) and should become the rallying cry of Occupy. Then maybe we can convince cities, communities, and eventually the country to consider endorsing it, and then it could become an international campaign. All for One and One for All!